Thermal mine



Dec. 11, 1928.

JQ H. nEPPELr-:R

THERMAL MINE Filed Nov. 2, 1926 JNVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

?atented Dee. lll,

.Tomi H. nnrrnnnn, or WEEHAWKEN, nnWj-JnnsEY-ssieivon ToY THVHEArnn-l j entren-lerares' season ,ann snnvron con-soneries, or Winivrineroinnnnawnan, A conroien- .i '5

` Tron or leeuw/nieny y 'THERMAL MINE.

Application.lledrNovember 2 f19`267.- Serial No.'-145,886.-V

The inventionl relatesto certain improvements in thermal mines orbombs of the gen? eral character disclosed in Patent" No.

1,562,137, dated November 17, 1925, and ap-..`

5 plication Serial No. 107,300, iiledMay 6, 1926, and has forits objectto provide a shell or casing for the thermit charge, inpwlrich the relation of the bottom of thel casingto the body thereof is such thatthe bottom onlyY will burn outv and release thesuperheat-edf reaction product-sas soon as kthe reaction has Y progressed completely from the top to the bottom ofthe thermit mass;A whereby theV molten mass Will be liberated as an entirety in a localized Zone or area and the v,efficiency of the charge increased enormously thereby.

rlhe invention is illustrated in the accom-V panying, drawings, in Which:- Y. A Y

Fig. 1 is a broken sectional elevation of a thermal `mine involving the invention.

Fig. 2 isa similar view showing a modified form of shell or container.

ln practicing the method of loosening ice accumulations, as disclosed in thefLetters v Patent aforesaid, and in vsimilar operations involving the use of vthermit or analogous charges, it has been found that, unless means are provided for liberating the products of the thermal reaction `as soon as such reaction placeonlygfor example,.the bottom thereof, K

soon asthe eXothermic reaction has been completed, the entire superheated mass v.of

metal and slag Will-be 'discharged in an. en-` tirety in aA highlylocalized'zone orV area, so Y that the Working eiiciency of the niine or bomb will be very largely increased.`

struct the body of the container of suchmaterials'and proportionsas will bepracti'cally unaffected bythe heat'of the reaction to is completed, the results' are not'altogether To effect this result, it is suificientto con-` providea bottom for the containerv vofimaterial that-Will burn' out andbec'onsumed im-e, mediatelythethermalactionhas beenfcomi .Y pletedg'thatis to say, assoon asthe reaction i has progressed VAfronijthetop of the thermit'j- 1 co A relatively simple, but highly -A ecientf,

mass to .the bottom thereof-,

form of shellor containerlwitliin thev scope j Y of the' inventionis illnst-ratedjy in Figi 1,' in l VWhichvljis .the body portion fof the'shell gor' casing, Which'ispreferably made ofliron or steel of Vrelatively heavy vgauge, which ina Q bomb containing one lhundred pounds. of

thermit may be onequarter of an inch thick. j

The top 2 of the casing, vWhich may be of similark thickness, is provided with a screw threaded opening 6, which receives a threaded plug'? supporting-the ignition device, of the j ,I

type describedin the patent aforesaid, said-"1'Y ignition deviceibeing embedded in the charge oiv therinit, which substantially fills'the shell, or casing. `The bottom of the shell or casing, V

which may be formed integrally vvit'hy the bodyportion or secured thereto by any appro'v priate means, is preferably made of relatively thin'material, Vso that it Will burn o ut oI be completel'y'consumed inthe heatof there- Y l action, when the thermit charge Vhas been ignlted, so that the entire resultantfinoltenmass, 'repres'entingrthe products ofV theV re- .7

action, Will be dischargedas an entiretyfroin the vlovver end of. the. casing, y'vhereby-thev effects ofthe great superheat of theicharge Willbeelocalizedi and the efliciency ofthelmine n Y Y greatly increased.` 'YV f The exact th'clrn'e'ss of the bottom is material, provided itis such that the bottom alone will burn out,\vhen the thermal jrei-fv` 4 action has been completed. In'the case of Y the .one hundred .pound mine hereinbeforev, Q j? referred tofthe bottom of one-eighth inoh steel'gives 'excellent results and burns away comple,telyy immediately the thermal'rez'tctio'nV 'i l has progressed to completion, Whiletlier'elatively thick side Walls and top of the casing'l are. practically unaffected by the heat of theV reaction- Instead of makingrthe! side Walls ofthecontainer of relatively 'thick.metalgor.otherli material, as compared'rvvith Ythe bottomgthef same desirable Vresult may beobtained Aby malingithe container of substantiallythe same uniform thickness vasto itsvvallsvjand4 y bottoin,bnt providing'the-Ywalls with alining v g v1'00 er 1 of heat insulating material, such as sheet asbestos, as illustrated in Fig.' 2, in which l" represents the Wall of a generally cylindrical container, preferably formed of sheetsteel,

the interior Walls being covered or lined with a sheathing of asbestos, or similar heat in-` sulating material 4. In this case,V the bottom 3 may be made of the same material andfsame thickness as the Walls l, but the side Walls are protected from the effects ot'V the sup'erheat"v of vthe reaction by the insulating lining 4.

so that the reactionL may proceedndownward V to completion WithoutV lmpairmgthe Vside Walls. and as soon asfthe reactionl has been completedandthe molten mass'comes in contact with the bottom 3', thelatter will'be Yburned away instantly,- therebyi releasing the entireproducts of the reaction.

That I` claim is: j

1. Athe'rmal mine comprisinga casing for y containing a thermit charge lhaving'a body portioncomparatively unaffected by the heat of the thermal' reaction'and a bottom which vburns out and releases the charge when the reaction is complete.

2. A; thermal mine comprising a casing Vfor containing a thermit charge having a paratively.unaiected by the heat of the thermal reaction and a'relatively thin metal bottom adaptedv to burn out and release the charge'when the reaction is complete.

f In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

JOHN H. DEPPELER. 

